Mobile device user interface having enhanced visual characteristics

ABSTRACT

A computing device includes a user interface module operable by at least one processor to output, for display, a graphical user interface of an application, the graphical user interface including a plurality of elements, each respective element of the plurality of elements being associated with one of a plurality of application features, determine an age for a first application feature of the plurality of application features, the age being a period of time that has elapsed since the first application feature was enabled in the application, generate, based on the age, a visual characteristic that modifies at least one of a chrominance value and a luminance value associated with a first element of the plurality of elements associated with the first application feature, and output, for display, the visual characteristic.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/854,806, filed Apr. 1, 2013, which claims the benefit of U.S.provisional application No. 61/714,680, filed Oct. 16, 2012, and U.S.provisional application No. 61/789,029, filed on Mar. 15, 2013, theentire content of each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Mobile computing devices, such as mobile phones and tablet computers,are becoming increasingly powerful and ubiquitous, and applications forthese computerized devices have begun to offer extensive functionality.Many of these mobile computing devices are provided with severalpre-installed applications (often referred to as “apps”) that offer atleast a basic set of functions (e.g., telephony, photo capture, webbrowsing, email, and navigation). In addition, numerous such apps areavailable for downloaded and installation from online app stores ormarkets.

As the functionality of mobile computing devices and applicationsexecutable thereby has expanded, so has the importance of the userinterface in ensuring a lightweight and intuitive mechanism forproviding input to and receiving feedback from the mobile computingdevice.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the disclosure describes a method that includesoutputting, by a computing device and for display, a graphical userinterface of an application, the graphical user interface including aplurality of elements, each respective element of the plurality ofelements being associated with one of a plurality of features,determining, by the computing device, an age for a first applicationfeature of the plurality of application features, the age being a periodof time that has elapsed since the first application feature was enabledin the application, generating, by the computing device, based on theage, a visual characteristic that modifies at least one of a chrominanceor luminance value associated with a first element of the plurality ofelements associated with the first application feature, and outputting,by the computing device and for display, the visual characteristic.

In another aspect, this disclosure describes a method that includesoutputting, by a computing device for display, a graphical userinterface of an application, the graphical user interface including aplurality of elements, determining, by the computing device, an age fora first element of the plurality of elements, the age being a period oftime that has elapsed since the first element was last selected in theapplication, generating, by the computing device, based on the age ofthe first element, a visual characteristic that modifies at least one ofchrominance or luminance value indicating the age of the first element,and outputting, by the computing device for display, the visualcharacteristic for the first element.

In another aspect, the disclosure describes a computing device thatincludes at least one processor, and a user interface module operably bythe at least one processor. In accordance with this aspect of thedisclosure, the user interface module may be operable by the at leastone processor to output, for display, a graphical user interface of anapplication, the graphical user interface including a plurality ofelements, each respective element of the plurality of elements beingassociated with one of a plurality of features, determine an age for afirst application feature of the plurality of application features, theage being a period of time that has elapsed since the first applicationfeature was enabled in the application, generate, based on the age, avisual characteristic that modifies at least one of a chrominance valueand a luminance value associated with a first element of the pluralityof elements associated with the first application feature, and output,for display, the visual characteristic.

In another example, A device includes at least one processor and a userinterface module operable by the at least one processor. The userinterface module is operable by the at least one processor to output fordisplay at a display device, a graphical user interface of anapplication including a plurality of elements, each respective elementof the plurality of elements being associated with one of a plurality offeatures, determine an age for a first application feature of theplurality of application features, the age being a period of time thathas elapsed since the first application feature was enabled in theapplication, generate, based on the age, a visual characteristic thatmodifies at least one of a respective chrominance or luminance valueassociated with a first element of the plurality of elements associatedwith the first application feature, and output for display, the visualcharacteristic.

The details of one or more examples are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features, objects, andadvantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the description anddrawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example computing devicethat generates and outputs enhanced visual characteristics based onvarious factors in accordance with one or more aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing device, inaccordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 3A-3B are conceptual diagrams that illustrate visualcharacteristics associated with user interface elements based on aperiod of time since a user has interacted with the user interfaceelements, in accordance with one or more aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram that illustrates generating andoutputting enhanced visual characteristics associated with a userinterface elements that represent one or more contacts, in accordancewith one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing device thatoutputs graphical content for display at a remote device, in accordancewith one or more techniques of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an example operation of thecomputing device, in accordance with one or more aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating an example operation of thecomputing device, in accordance with one or more aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an example operation of thecomputing device, in accordance with one or more aspects of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure describes techniques for constructing and outputting,from a computing device, a graphical user interface (GUI) in whichinterface elements have enhanced visual characteristics based on variousfactors. The enhanced visual characteristics may improve the experienceof a user of the computing device by drawing the attention of the userto particular interface elements and, for example, by providing anindication, based on the associated visual characteristic, of aclassification of each of the user interface elements.

As one example, a computing device may construct and output userinterface elements for an application having visual characteristicsindicative of an “age” (e.g., an amount of time since the installationor receipt by the device) of one or more capabilities or features of theapplication. As a result, a user may be able to more readily distinguish“newer” apps and/or application features from “older” apps and/orapplication features.

As a second example, the computing device may output user interfaceelements for an application having visual characteristics based on anamount of time elapsed since a most-recent user selection of orinteraction with the respective user interface element. In someinstances, the respective user interface element may be associated witha particular capability or feature of application. In this manner, thevisual characteristics may provide an indication of application featuresand associated user interface elements which the user has not recentlyused or with which the user has not recently interacted. Such visualcharacteristics may signal to a user which application features aremost-frequently used, and thereby more easily identify any unusedfeatures of the application.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example computing devicethat generates and outputs enhanced visual characteristics based onvarious factors in accordance with one or more aspects of the presentdisclosure. In the example of FIG. 1, computing device 2 may be a mobilephone. However, in other examples, computing device 2 may be a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tabletcomputer, a portable gaming device, a portable media player, a camera,an e-book reader, a watch, or another type of computing device.Moreover, computing device 2 may include one or more stand-alone devicesor may be part of a larger system. User 102 interacts with computingdevice 2 using various input and output devices, examples of which areshown in greater detail in FIG. 2.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, computing device 2 includes a userinterface device (UID) 4, user interface device module 6 (UI devicemodule 6), application feature module 8, and application modules17A-17N. User 102 may be associated with computing device, 2, and mayperform various actions, described in further detail below, usingcomputing device 2.

UID 4 of computing device 2 may function as an input device and/or anoutput device for computing device 2. For example, UID 4 of computingdevice 2 may include a presence-sensitive display, such as a touchscreenconfigured to receive tactile user input from a user of computing device2. UID 4 may receive tactile user input as one or more taps and/orgestures. UID 4 may detect taps or other gestures in response to theuser touching or pointing to one or more locations of UID 4 with afinger or a stylus pen. UID 4 may be implemented using varioustechnologies. For example, UID 4 may be implemented using a resistivetouchscreen, a surface acoustic wave touchscreen, a capacitivetouchscreen, a projective capacitance touchscreen, a pressure sensitivescreen, an acoustic pulse recognition touchscreen, or anotherpresence-sensitive display technology. Furthermore, UID 4 may includeany one or more of a liquid crystal display (LCD) dot matrix display,light emitting diode (LED) display, organic light-emitting diode (OLED)display, e-ink, or similar monochrome or color display capable ofoutputting visible information to user 102 of computing device 2.

UID 4 may output a graphical user interface (GUI), such as GUI 10 andGUI 18, which may be related to functionality provided by computingdevice 2. For example, UID 4 may output GUI 10 and GUI 18, which areassociated with one or more of application modules 17A-17N, and whichare described in further detail below.

UI device module 6 may comprise hardware or software that interacts withand/or controls UID 4, and which manages the layout and user interactionassociated with elements of a GUI. As an example, UI device module 6 maycomprise one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), drivers,software, and/or firmware that may control the output and input from UID4. UI device module 6 may also manage the layout and user interactionwith the elements of a user interface, such as GUI 10 and GUI 18, whichapplication modules 17A-17N may generate. In some examples, UI devicemodule 6 may also generate and output enhanced visual characteristics,which may modify luminance and/or chrominance values associated withelements of the user interface based on various factors in accordancewith the techniques of this disclosure.

Application modules 17-17N (“application modules 17”) represent one ormore applications of computing device 2. As some examples, applicationmodules 17 may include a restaurant finder application, a contactmanagement application, which may allow interaction with contactsassociated with user 102, for example using text messaging (e.g., SMS orMMS messaging), voice, and video communications. Application modules 17may also include various applications that user 102 may download andinstall from an application store or marketplace. User 102 or computingdevice 2 may update the version or capabilities of one or more ofapplication modules 17. In some examples, the updated applications mayinclude new application capabilities, also referred to herein assoftware features, which application feature module 8 may monitor.

More specifically, application feature module 8 may monitor installationand usage of individual capabilities provided by application modules 17.In some examples, application feature module 8 may track when newapplication capabilities are added to each of application modules 17,e.g., by way of a software update. As part of tracking applicationcapabilities, application feature module 8 may determine a date and/ortimestamp associated with one or more capabilities of each ofapplication modules 17. Based on the date associated with eachapplication capability, application feature module 8 may determine avisual characteristic for a user interface element associated with thatapplication capability, and UID 4 may output the visual characteristicsin accordance with the techniques of this disclosure. In some examples,the visual effects may modify luminance and/or chrominance valuesassociated with elements of the user interface elements. Although shownseparately from application modules 17, application feature module 8 maybe a component or module integrated within one or more of applicationmodules 17 or within an operating system or other software component ofcomputing device 2.

In the example of FIG. 1, one of application modules 17 (e.g.,application module 17A) may generate GUI 10 and GUI 18 at time (t₁) 28and time (t₁) 30, respectively. When constructing and outputting GUIs10, 18, application feature module 8 may determine a respective date(e.g., a timestamp) associated with installation of one or morecapabilities of the one of application modules 17, and UID 4 may outputuser interface elements of GUIs 10, 18 associated with the capabilitiesto have certain visual characteristics based on the respective dates. Ina second example, when constructing GUIs 10, 18, application featuremodule 8 may determine an age since a user has selected a particular UIelement generated by one of application modules 17, and UID 4 maycontrol the visual characteristics for each UI element based on the age

As a more detailed illustration of the first example of outputtingenhanced visual characteristics, user 102 may, at a time (t₀), downloadand install a restaurant finder application which may include UIelements that are associated with the enhanced visual characteristics.The restaurant application may comprise one of application modules 17,which subsequently cause UID 4 to output GUI 10 at a time (t₁) 28 toinclude user interface elements 12A, and 12B. User interface elements12A and 12B may be associated with application capabilities that allowuser 102 to search for restaurants with various characteristics.Moreover, application feature module 8 determines an age of each offeatures to which user interface elements 12A and 12B correspond, wherethe age the feature represents a period of time that has elapsed sincethe application capability was made available by the softwareapplication, either at the time of original installation or softwareupgrade. Assuming the capabilities associated with user interfaceelements 12A and 12B are originally present in the restaurant finderapplication when user 102 installed the restaurant finder application,the age of the capabilities of user interface elements 12A and 12B isthe time between the installation of the restaurant finder applicationat time at a time (t₀) and the time (t₁) 28 when GUI 10 was constructed.

At a later time (t₂) 30, user interface device 4 outputs GUI 18. Inbetween time 28 and time 30, computing device 2 may update therestaurant finder application to a different version of the applicationhaving new capabilities. As an example, GUI 18 may include UI elements12A and 12B which were present in GUI 10, but further includes UIelement 12C, and UI element 14. In this example, both UI element 12C andUI element 14 are associated with new application capabilities. Forexample, element 12C may be associated with a capability that allowsuser 102 to search for restaurants that have Wi-Fi, and UI element 14may be associated with a search capability that may allow user 102 tosearch for restaurants, e.g., based on a textual description of therestaurant. When computing device 2 generates GUI 18, UI device module 6may construct UI elements 12C, 14 for the new software features so as tohave one or more visual characteristics that are indicative of the ageof the capabilities. In this example, computing device 2 has output GUI18 such that UI element 12C associated with the new Wi-Fi propertycapability has enhanced visual characteristic 13 and UI element 14associated with the text search capability has enhanced visualcharacteristic 15. As a result, a user 102 may be able to more readilydistinguish newer application features associated with UI elements 12C,14 from older application features based on the visual characteristics13, 15.

As a more detailed illustration of the second example described above,application feature module 8 may determine an age associated with UIelements based on the time since user 102 last selected each element,and based on the age of each UI element, UID 4 may output a visualcharacteristic indicative of the age associated with each UI element. Inthe example of FIG. 1, user 102 may select UI element 12A at time (t₁)28, but may not have selected UI element 12B. Application feature module28 may determine an age associated with UI elements 12A and 12B based onthe times at which UI elements 12A and 12B were last selected.Accordingly, the age of UI element 12A may be older than the age of UIelement 12B. As a result, UI device module 6 may generate, and UID 4 mayoutput, UI elements 12A and 12B of GUI 18 to have visual characteristicsindicative of this age difference. In some examples, the enhanced visualcharacteristics, may modify luminance and/or chrominance valuesassociated with elements, e.g., of UI elements 12A and 12B based onvarious factors in accordance with the techniques of this disclosure. Attime (t₁) 30, for example, UID 4 may display UI element 12A to have afirst visual characteristic, and the first visual characteristic maydiffer from a second visual characteristic that is associated with UIelement 12B, based on the different ages of UI elements 12A and 12B. Forexample, UI element 12A may be displayed with certain shading andrendering indicative of an older object, such as a texturing thatvisually simulates a brittle or fragile state. Alternatively, or inaddition, UI element 12 having a newer age may be rendered with bright,clean lines. In this way, user 102 may more easily access and utilizemore frequently used features and may more easily identify any unusedfeatures of the software application, for example.

As described above, computing device 2 may output enhanced visualcharacteristics based on various factors in accordance with thetechniques of this disclosure. The enhanced visual characteristics mayenhance the experience of a user, such as user 102, of computing device2, by drawing the attention of the user to the interface elements thatare associated with the improved visual effects.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing device, inaccordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. Computingdevice 2 of FIG. 2 is described below within the context of FIG. 1. Asshown in the example of FIG. 2, computing device 2 includes userinterface device 4 (“UID 4”), one or more processors 40, one or moreinput devices 42, one or more communication units 44, one or more outputdevices 46, and one or more storage devices 48. In this example, UID 4also includes presence-sensitive display 20.

Storage devices 48 of computing device 2 may also include user interfacemodule 6, application feature module 8, application modules 17A-17N,visual characteristic module 16, contacts 22, and operating system 54.Communication channels 50 may interconnect each of the components 6, 8,16, 17, 20, 22, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, and 54 for inter-componentcommunications (physically, communicatively, and/or operatively). Insome examples, communication channels 50 may include a system bus, anetwork connection, an inter-process communication data structure, orany other method for communicating data.

One or more input devices 42 of computing device 2 may receive input.Examples of input are tactile, audio, and video input. Input devices 42of computing device 2, in one example, includes a presence-sensitivedisplay (e.g., presence-sensitive display 20), touch-sensitive screen,mouse, keyboard, voice responsive system, video camera, microphone,accelerometer, gyroscope, light sensor, or any other type of device fordetecting input from a human or machine.

One or more output devices 46 of computing device 2 may generate output.Examples of output are tactile, audio, and video output. Output devices46 of computing device 2, in one example, includes a presence-sensitivedisplay, sound card, video graphics adapter card, speaker, cathode raytube (CRT) monitor, liquid crystal display (LCD), or any other type ofdevice for generating output to a human or machine.

One or more communication units 44 of computing device 2 may communicatewith external devices via one or more networks by transmitting and/orreceiving network signals on the one or more networks. For example,computing device 2 may use communication unit 44 to transmit and/orreceive radio signals on a radio network such as a cellular radionetwork. Likewise, communication units 44 may transmit and/or receivesatellite signals on a satellite network such as a GPS network. Examplesof communication unit 44 include a network interface card (e.g. such asan Ethernet card), an optical transceiver, a radio frequencytransceiver, a GPS receiver, or any other type of device that can sendand/or receive information. Other examples of communication units 44 mayinclude Bluetooth®, GPS, 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi® radios found in mobiledevices as well as Universal Serial Bus (USB) controllers.

UID 4 of FIG. 2 includes presence-sensitive display 20 (hereafter“display 20”). Computing device 2 may use display 20 as an input deviceand an output device. For example, display 20 of UID 4 may include atouchscreen configured to receive tactile user input from a user ofcomputing device 2. Display 20 of UID 4 may also include an LED displaycapable of outputting visible information to the user of computingdevice 2. UID 4 may present a user interface on display 20, such as GUIs10, 14 of FIG. 1, that may be related to functionality provided bycomputing device 2. In some examples, display 20 of UID 4 may presentvarious functions and applications, such as an electronic messageclient, a contacts GUI, and a notifications GUI.

One or more storage devices 48 within computing device 2 may storeinformation required for use during operation of computing device 2(e.g., application modules 17 of computing device 2 may storeinformation related to operation of the respective one of one or moreapplications). Storage devices 48, in some examples, have the primarypurpose of being short term and not long-term computer-readable storagemediums. Storage devices 48 on computing device 2 may be configured forshort-term storage of information as volatile memory and therefore notretain stored contents if powered off. Examples of volatile memoriesinclude random access memories (RAM), dynamic random access memories(DRAM), static random access memories (SRAM), and other forms ofvolatile memories known in the art. Storage devices 48 may further beconfigured for long-term storage of information as non-volatile memoryspace and retain information after power on/off cycles. Examples ofnon-volatile memories include magnetic hard discs, optical discs, floppydiscs, flash memories, or forms of electrically programmable memories(EPROM) or electrically erasable and programmable (EEPROM) memories.Storage devices 48 may store program instructions and/or data associatedwith UI interface module 16, visual characteristic module 16, andapplication modules 17.

Storage devices 48 may also include operating system 54. In someexamples, operating system 54 may manage various processes andcomponents of computing device 2, such as storage devices, input,output, and peripheral devices. Operating system 54 may also generateevents, e.g., based on timers, and/or interrupts, that applications ofcomputing device 2 may receive, for example using an event handler.

Applications 17 may store a variety of data to storage devices 22, suchas contact data (“contacts 22”). Contacts 22 may, for example, comprisea database or other data structure that an application, such as a phonedialer application, a notifications application, or a messagingapplication may access. Although illustrated as being stored locally onstorage devices 48, some contacts of contacts 22 may also be storedremotely, for example in a cloud.

One or more processors 40 may implement functionality and/or executeinstructions within computing device 2. For example, processors 40 oncomputing device 2 may read and execute instructions stored by storagedevices 48 that execute the functionality application of UI devicemodule 6, application feature module 8, user interface elements 12A and12B, visual characteristic module 16, application modules 17, andoperating system 54. These instructions executed by processors 40 maycause computing device 2 to store information within storage devices 48during program execution, such as information related to the age of userinterface elements, notification objects, and/or information associatedwith contacts 22.

As described above with respect to FIG. 1, computing device 2 may beconfigured to generate and output user interface elements havingenhanced visual characteristics based on various factors. In someexamples, the visual characteristics may modify at least one of achrominance and a luminance value associated with the user interfaceelements. As a first example, storage devices 48 may include applicationfeature module 8 operable to determine an age associated with each of aplurality of features of applications modules 17. Application featuremodule 8 may include a database or other data that may store the age ofeach of the features of one of the applications of application modules17 in storage devices 48. Based on the age of each UI element,application feature module 8 may generate a visual characteristic thatis associated with each UI element of the application of applicationmodules 17. In some examples, visual characteristic module 16 may modifythe quality of the visual effect before UID 4 outputs the visualcharacteristic to presence-sensitive display 20. As an example, visualcharacteristic module 16 may modify the chrominance, luminance, or otherproperties of the visual characteristic before UID 4 outputs the visualcharacteristic at presence-sensitive display 20. After visual charactermodule 16 modifies the quality of the visual characteristics, UID 4outputs the visual characteristics associated with each UI element ofthe application of application modules 17.

As a second example of generating enhanced visual characteristics,application feature module 8 may also be configured to determine a timesince a user, such as user 102 has interacted with a particular userinterface element of an application, and based on that time, UID 4 mayoutput different visual characteristics to presence-sensitive display20. In this example user 102 may select one or more UI elements. Basedon the time that user 102 selects a first one of the UI elements of theapplication, application feature module 8 may store a date on storagedevices 48. Based on the date, application feature module 8 maydetermine an age for the first one of the UI elements of theapplication. Application feature module 8 may generate visualcharacteristics, which may modify at least one of a chrominance orluminance value of the first one of the user interface elements, basedon the age, which visual characteristic module 16 may modify. Aftervisual characteristic module 16 modifies the visual characteristics, UIdevice 4 outputs the visual characteristics for display atpresence-sensitive display 20. Based on the visual characteristicsassociated with each of the UI elements, user 102 of computing device 2may be able to more easily identify application capabilities and UIelements that user 102 has interacted with more recently and lessrecently.

As described above, computing device 2 may output enhanced visualcharacteristics based on various factors in accordance with thetechniques of this disclosure. The enhanced visual characteristics mayenhance the experience of a user, such as user 102, of computing device2, by drawing the attention of the user to the interface elements thatare associated with the improved visual effects.

FIGS. 3A-3B are conceptual diagrams that illustrate visualcharacteristics associated with user interface elements controlled bycomputing device 2 based on a period of time since a user has interactedwith the user interface elements, in accordance with one or more aspectsof the present disclosure. FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate two GUIs, GUI 80,and GUI 88. GUIs 80 and 88 generally include the same user interfaceelements, i.e., user interface elements 81, 82, 83, 84, and 85.Graphical elements 81, 82, and 84 of GUI 80, and graphical elements 81,and 82 of GUI 88, that include diagonal, horizontal, and/or verticalhashing, may indicate UI elements to which visual characteristic module16 (FIG. 2) has applied one or more visual characteristics.

In some examples, the visual characteristics applied to UI elements 81,82, and 84 may modify the chrominance or luminance values associatedwith UI elements 81, 82, and 84. The visual characteristics may make UIelements appear to user 102 as though they have reflective properties,such as the reflective properties of a piece of metal or a shiny pieceof plastic or another material. Visual characteristic module 16 may alsoadjust various properties of the visual characteristics based on variouscriteria.

As one example, visual characteristic module 16 may receive a brightnessmeasurement of the environment of computing device 2 from a brightnesssensor, which may be one of input devices 44 (FIG. 2). The brightnessmeasurement may indicate an amount of light detected by the brightnesssensor. Based on the brightness measurement, visual characteristicmodule 16 may adjust the intensity of the visual characteristics foreach of the user interface elements. As an example, if the detectedbrightness measurement increases, the intensity of the visual effect,e.g., the reflectivity or shininess may increase or decrease.

Computing device 2 may also adjust the visual characteristics for eachof the UI elements of a GUI based on the movement of computing device 2.As an example, an accelerometer, which may comprise one of input devices44 may detect an indication (e.g., a movement) that computing device 2has moved, and may generate an indication, such as a signal responsiveto detecting the movement indication. Visual characteristic module 16may receive the indication that computing device 2 has moved, and mayupdate the visual characteristics for each of the UI elements 81, 82,83, 84, and 85 based on the movement indication. As an example, visualcharacteristic module 16 may update a reflection characteristic, such asa lens flare effect generated by computing device as if a light sourcewere present. That is, visual characteristic module 16 may dynamicallyupdate a graphical depiction of a lens flare due to movement ofcomputing device 2 that would change the position of the computingdevice relative to the position of the imaginary light source.

Visual characteristic module 16 may update the visual characteristicsfor each of the UI elements 81-85 based on an image captured using acamera of computing device 2. In this example, the camera may capture animage, which in some cases may comprise an image of a user of computingdevice 2, such as user 102. Visual characteristic module 16 receives thecaptured image and updates the visual characteristics for each of UIelements 81-85 such that the visual characteristics include at least aportion of the captured image.

In the example of FIG. 3A, UID 4 outputs GUI 80 for display atpresence-sensitive display 20 at time (t₁) 90. In accordance with thetechniques of this disclosure of generating enhanced visualcharacteristics based on various factors, application feature module 8may determine a respective age for each of UI elements 81, 82, 83, 84,and 85. As described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2, application featuremodule 8 may keep a record of the various UI elements of an application,such as any of the applications illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4.Application feature module 8 may keep a record of the last time that auser, such as user 102 has selected each UI element, and may determineage for each UI element that is based on the amount of time that haselapsed since each of UI elements 81, 82, 83, 84, and 85 was lastselected in the application. Based on the age of each of UI elements81-85, visual characteristic module 16 may generate a respective visualcharacteristic for each of UI elements 81-85, and UID 4 may output therespective visual characteristics for each of the UI elements 81-85.

At a later time (t₂) 92, user 102 may interact with UI element 84 of GUI88. Based on the interaction with UI element 84, application featuremodule 8 may update the time since UI element 84 was last selected(e.g., the age of the UI element). Application feature module 8 maycause visual characteristic module 16 to update the visualcharacteristic associated with UI element 84. User interface device 4may then output the updated visual characteristic for UI element 84.

As examples of how visual effects module 16 generates the visualcharacteristics for UI elements 81-85 based on the age of UI elements81-85, UID 4 may no longer display a visual characteristic for UIelement 84 based on the updated age of UI element 84 due user 102selecting UI element 84 at time (t₁) 90. Additionally, because time haselapsed between time 92 and time 90, the age of UI elements 81 and 82 inFIG. 3B may have increased. Accordingly, visual characteristic module 16updates the visual characteristics, and user interface device 4 outputsthe updated visual characteristics for UI elements 81 and 82. Thedifferent hashings of FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrated with UI elements 81-83represent changed visual characteristics for UI elements 81 and 82.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram that illustrates generating andoutputting enhanced visual characteristics associated with a userinterface elements that represent one or more contacts, in accordancewith one or more aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 illustrates aGUI 400 of computing device 2 that may include user interface elements402, 404, and 406, each of which may represent one or more contactsassociated with user 102 of computing device 2. UI elements 402, 404,and 404 may each comprise a graphical representation of one or more ofcontacts 22.

GUI 400 may represent, in the example of FIG. 4, an application, such asa notifications application that may inform user 102 of various newevents, such as communications that computing device 2 has receivedsince user 102 last interacted with computing device 2. The events mayinclude missed or received phone calls, receipt of messages, such astext and voice messages, received e-mails, and notifications fromapplications, such as social networking applications.

A module of computing device 2, such as one of application modules 17may determine a classification of one or more of contacts 22 (e.g, a“preferred” status) based on various criteria, such as frequency ofcommunication that user 102 has had with a particular contact, the timethat has elapsed since user 102 has communicated with a particularcontact, a number of messages or conversations with a particularcontact, or other communication metrics or preferences of user 102. Forgraphical elements 402, 404, 406 that represent a contact that one ofapplication modules 17 has classified as a preferred contact for user102, visual characteristic module 16 may generate and user interfacedevice 4 may output a visual characteristic indicative of the status ofthe contact.

One of application modules 17 may also determine that the contactrepresented by UI element 404 represents does not correspond to apreferred contact. Based on that determination, visual characteristicmodule 16 may generate, and user interface device 4 may output a second,different visual characteristic for UI element 404. In this example, UIelements 404 and 406 may correspond to one or more of contacts 22 (FIG.2).

In some examples, visual characteristic module 16 may also generate thevisual characteristic for the UI element associated with each contactbased on the communication with the contact and information associatedwith the contact. For example, visual characteristic module 16 maygenerate different visual effects for a contact associated with a socialnetwork application, than for a contact in a phone application or a textmessaging application. In another example, visual characteristic module16 may generate different visual effects based on the frequency ofcommunication with each contact.

Although GUI 400 is illustrated as a notification application, thetechniques of this disclosure and with respect to FIG. 4 may apply toother applications, as well. Some example applications that may outputvisual characteristics based on the determination that a UI element isassociated with a preferred contact may include a phone dialerapplication, text or voice messaging application, social networkingapplication, or any other application that may include UI elements thatcorrespond to contacts 22 of computing device 2.

In general, visual characteristic module 16 may generate, and userinterface device 4 may output any of the visual characteristicsdescribed in this disclosure for any of UI elements 402, 404, and 406that may be associated with any of contacts 22. Such visualcharacteristics may include shining, shimmering, highlight and/orglimmering effects, and visual characteristics that include at least aportion of an image captured by a camera of computing device 2.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing device thatoutputs graphical content for display at a remote device, in accordancewith one or more techniques of the present disclosure. Graphicalcontent, generally, may include any visual information that may beoutput for display, such as text, images, a group of moving images, etc.The example shown in FIG. 5 includes a computing device 500,presence-sensitive display 501, communication unit 510, projector 520,projector screen 522, tablet device 526, and visual display device 130.Although shown for purposes of example in FIGS. 1 and 2 as a stand-alonecomputing device 500, a computing device may, generally, be anycomponent or system that includes a processor or other suitablecomputing environment for executing software instructions and, forexample, need not include a presence-sensitive display.

As shown in the example of FIG. 5, computing device 500 may be aprocessor that includes functionality as described with respect toprocessor 40 in FIG. 2. In such examples, computing device 500 may beoperatively coupled to presence-sensitive display 501 by a communicationchannel 502A, which may be a system bus or other suitable connection.Computing device 500 may also be operatively coupled to communicationunit 510, further described below, by a communication channel 502B,which may also be a system bus or other suitable connection. Althoughshown separately as an example in FIG. 5, computing device 500 may beoperatively coupled to presence-sensitive display 501 and communicationunit 510 by any number of one or more communication channels.

In other examples, such as illustrated previously in FIGS. 1-2,computing device 500 may be a portable or mobile device such as mobilephones (including smart phones), laptop computers, etc. In someexamples, computing device 500 may be a desktop computers, tabletcomputers, smart television platforms, cameras, personal digitalassistants (PDAs), servers, mainframes, etc.

Presence-sensitive display 501, as shown in FIG. 5, may include displaydevice 503 and presence-sensitive input device 505. Display device 503may, for example, receive data from computing device 500 and display thegraphical content. In some examples, presence-sensitive input device 505may determine one or more user inputs (e.g., continuous gestures,multi-touch gestures, single-touch gestures, etc.) at presence-sensitivedisplay 501 using capacitive, inductive, and/or optical recognitiontechniques and send indications of such user input to computing device500 using communication channel 502A. In some examples,presence-sensitive input device 505 may be physically positioned on topof display device 503 such that, when a user positions an input unitover a graphical element displayed by display device 503, the locationat which presence-sensitive input device 505 corresponds to the locationof display device 503 at which the graphical element is displayed.

As shown in FIG. 5, computing device 500 may also include and/or beoperatively coupled with communication unit 510. Communication unit 510may include functionality of communication unit 44 as described in FIG.2. Examples of communication unit 510 may include a network interfacecard, an Ethernet card, an optical transceiver, a radio frequencytransceiver, or any other type of device that can send and receiveinformation. Other examples of such communication units may includeBluetooth, 3G, and WiFi radios, Universal Serial Bus (USB) interfaces,etc. Computing device 500 may also include and/or be operatively coupledwith one or more other devices, e.g., input devices, output devices,memory, storage devices, etc. that are not shown in FIG. 3 for purposesof brevity and illustration.

FIG. 5 also illustrates a projector 520 and projector screen 522. Othersuch examples of projection devices may include electronic whiteboards,holographic display devices, and any other suitable devices fordisplaying graphical content. Projector 520 and project screen 522 mayinclude one or more communication units that enable the respectivedevices to communicate with computing device 500. In some examples, theone or more communication units may enable communication betweenprojector 520 and projector screen 522. Projector 520 may receive datafrom computing device 500 that includes graphical content. Projector520, in response to receiving the data, may project the graphicalcontent onto projector screen 522. In some examples, projector 520 maydetermine one or more user inputs (e.g., continuous gestures,multi-touch gestures, single-touch gestures, etc.) at projector screenusing optical recognition or other suitable techniques and sendindications of such user input using one or more communication units tocomputing device 500.

Projector screen 522, in some examples, may include a presence-sensitivedisplay 524. Presence-sensitive display 524 may include a subset offunctionality or all of the functionality of UI device 4 as described inthis disclosure. In some examples, presence-sensitive display 524 mayinclude additional functionality. Projector screen 522 (e.g., anelectronic whiteboard), may receive data from computing device 500 anddisplay the graphical content. In some examples, presence-sensitivedisplay 524 may determine one or more user inputs (e.g., continuousgestures, multi-touch gestures, single-touch gestures, etc.) atprojector screen 522 using capacitive, inductive, and/or opticalrecognition techniques and send indications of such user input using oneor more communication units to computing device 500.

FIG. 5 also illustrates tablet device 526 and visual display device 530.Tablet device 526 and visual display device 530 may each includecomputing and connectivity capabilities. Examples of tablet device 526may include e-reader devices, convertible notebook devices, hybrid slatedevices, etc. Examples of visual display device 530 may includetelevisions, computer monitors, etc. As shown in FIG. 5, tablet device526 may include a presence-sensitive display 528. Visual display device530 may include a presence-sensitive display 532. Presence-sensitivedisplays 528, 532 may include a subset of functionality or all of thefunctionality of UI device 4 as described in this disclosure. In someexamples, presence-sensitive displays 528, 532 may include additionalfunctionality. In any case, presence-sensitive display 532, for example,may receive data from computing device 500 and display the graphicalcontent. In some examples, presence-sensitive display 532 may determineone or more user inputs (e.g., continuous gestures, multi-touchgestures, single-touch gestures, etc.) at projector screen usingcapacitive, inductive, and/or optical recognition techniques and sendindications of such user input using one or more communication units tocomputing device 500.

As described above, in some examples, computing device 500 may outputgraphical content for display at presence-sensitive display 501 that iscoupled to computing device 500 by a system bus or other suitablecommunication channel. Computing device 500 may also output graphicalcontent for display at one or more remote devices, such as projector520, projector screen 522, tablet device 526, and visual display device530. For instance, computing device 500 may execute one or moreinstructions to generate and/or modify graphical content in accordancewith techniques of the present disclosure. Computing device 500 mayoutput the data that includes the graphical content to a communicationunit of computing device 500, such as communication unit 510.Communication unit 510 may send the data to one or more of the remotedevices, such as projector 520, projector screen 522, tablet device 526,and/or visual display device 530. In this way, computing device 500 mayoutput the graphical content for display at one or more of the remotedevices. In some examples, one or more of the remote devices may outputthe graphical content at a presence-sensitive display that is includedin and/or operatively coupled to the respective remote devices.

In some examples, computing device 500 may not output graphical contentat presence-sensitive display 501 that is operatively coupled tocomputing device 500. In other examples, computing device 500 may outputgraphical content for display at both a presence-sensitive display 501that is coupled to computing device 500 by communication channel 502A,and at one or more remote devices. In such examples, the graphicalcontent may be displayed substantially contemporaneously at eachrespective device. For instance, some delay may be introduced by thecommunication latency to send the data that includes the graphicalcontent to the remote device. In some examples, graphical contentgenerated by computing device 500 and output for display atpresence-sensitive display 501 may be different than graphical contentdisplay output for display at one or more remote devices.

Computing device 500 may send and receive data using any suitablecommunication techniques. For example, computing device 500 may beoperatively coupled to external network 514 using network link 512A.Each of the remote devices illustrated in FIG. 5 may be operativelycoupled to network external network 514 by one of respective networklinks 512B, 512C, and 512D. External network 514 may include networkhubs, network switches, network routers, etc., that are operativelyinter-coupled thereby providing for the exchange of information betweencomputing device 500 and the remote devices illustrated in FIG. 5. Insome examples, network links 512A-512D may be Ethernet, ATM or othernetwork connections. Such connections may be wireless and/or wiredconnections.

In some examples, computing device 500 may be operatively coupled to oneor more of the remote devices included in FIG. 5 using direct devicecommunication 518. Direct device communication 518 may includecommunications through which computing device 500 sends and receivesdata directly with a remote device, using wired or wirelesscommunication. That is, in some examples of direct device communication518, data sent by computing device 500 may not be forwarded by one ormore additional devices before being received at the remote device, andvice-versa. Examples of direct device communication 518 may includeBluetooth, Near-Field Communication, Universal Serial Bus, WiFi,infrared, etc. One or more of the remote devices illustrated in FIG. 5may be operatively coupled with computing device 500 by communicationlinks 516A-516D. In some examples, communication links 512A-512D may beconnections using Bluetooth, Near-Field Communication, Universal SerialBus, infrared, etc. Such connections may be wireless and/or wiredconnections.

In accordance with techniques of the disclosure, computing device 500may be operatively coupled to visual display device 530 using externalnetwork 514. Computing device 500 may output for display at visualdisplay device 530 a graphical user interface of an applicationincluding a plurality of elements, each respective element of theplurality of elements being associated with one of a plurality ofapplication capabilities. Presence-sensitive input device 505 maydetermine a respective age of each one of the plurality of applicationcapabilities, each respective age being a period of time that haselapsed since that application capability was added to the application.Computing device 500 may generate, based on the respective age of eachone of the plurality of application capabilities associated with each ofthe plurality of elements and by the computing device, a respectivevisual characteristic for each of the plurality of elements. In someexamples, the enhanced visual characteristics may modify at least one ofa chrominance and a luminance value associated with the plurality ofelements. Presence-sensitive input device 505 may output and for displayat the display device, the respective visual characteristic for each oneof the plurality of application capabilities associated with each of theplurality of elements in accordance with the techniques of thisdisclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an example operation of thecomputing device, in accordance with one or more aspects of the presentdisclosure. The operations of FIG. 6 may be performed by one or moreprocessors of a computing device, processors 40 of computing device 2illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. For purposes of illustration, FIG. 5is described below within the context of computing devices 2 of FIG. 1and FIG. 2 or computing device 500 of FIG. 5.

Computing device 2 may output for display, a graphical user interface ofan application, the graphical user interface including a plurality ofelements, each respective element of the plurality of elements beingassociated with one of a plurality of application features (600). Userinterface device 4 may determine an age for a first application featureof the plurality of application features, the age being a period of timethat has elapsed since that application feature was enabled in theapplication (601). Visual characteristic module 16 may generate, basedon the age, a visual characteristic that modifies at least one of achrominance or luminance value associated with the first applicationfeature (602). UID 4 may output and for display at the display device,the visual characteristic (603).

In some examples, a camera coupled to the computing device may capturean image, and each the visual effect may include at least a portion ofthe image. In some examples, the image may comprise an image of a userassociated with the computing device.

The operations of the method illustrated in FIG. 6 may further includecapturing, by a light sensor of computing device computing device 2, abrightness measurement of an environment of the computing device, andadjusting, based on the brightness measurement of the environment, anintensity of the visual characteristic.

In some examples, an accelerometer of computing device 2 may detect anindication that the computing device has moved. Computing device 2 mayreceive the indication that the computing device has moved, andresponsive to receiving the indication that the computing device hasmoved, may update the visual characteristic based on the movementindication. UID 4 may output the updated visual characteristic. In someexamples, the visual characteristic comprises one of a glimmer, shimmer,highlight, and shine.

In another example, generating the visual characteristic may comprisegenerating an intensity for the visual characteristic from the pluralityof elements, and the intensity of each visual characteristic maydecrease as the age of the application capability associated with thatelement increases.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating an example operation of thecomputing device, in accordance with one or more aspects of the presentdisclosure. The operations of FIG. 7 may be performed by one or moreprocessors of a computing device, processors 40 of computing device 2illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 or computing device 500 of FIG. 5. Forpurposes of illustration, FIG. 7 is described below within the contextof computing devices 2 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

Computing device 2 may output for display, a graphical user interface ofan application, the graphical user interface including a plurality ofelements (700). Application feature module 8 of computing device 2 maydetermine an age for a first element of the plurality of elements, theage being a period of time that has elapsed since the first element waslast selected in the application (701). Visual characteristic module 16may generate, based on the respective age of the first element, a visualcharacteristic that modifies at least one of a chrominance or luminancevalue that indicates the age of the first element (702), and computingdevice 2 may output for display, the visual characteristic for the firstelement (703).

In some examples, a camera coupled to the computing device may capturean image, and the visual effect may include at least a portion of theimage. In some examples, the image may comprise an image of a userassociated with the computing device.

The operations of the method illustrated in FIG. 7 may further includecapturing, by a light sensor of computing device computing device 2, abrightness measurement of an environment of the computing device, andadjusting, based on the brightness measurement of the environment, anintensity of the respective visual characteristic.

In some examples, an accelerometer of computing device 2 may detect anindication that the computing device has moved. Computing device 2 mayreceive the indication that the computing device has moved, andresponsive to receiving the indication that the computing device hasmoved, may update each respective visual characteristic based on themovement indication. UID 4 may output the updated visual characteristicfor display at presence-sensitive display 20. In some examples, eachrespective visual characteristic comprises one of a glimmer, shimmer,highlight, and shine.

In an example, computing device 2 may generate an intensity for thevisual characteristic. The intensity of the respective visualcharacteristic may decrease as the period of time that has elapsed sincethat element was last selected increases.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an example operation of thecomputing device, in accordance with one or more aspects of the presentdisclosure. The operations of FIG. 8 may also be performed by one ormore processors of a computing device, processors 40 of computing device2 illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. For purposes of illustration, FIG. 7is described below within the context of computing devices 2 of FIG. 1and FIG. 2 and/or computing device 500 of FIG. 5.

Computing device 2 may receive a communication associated with a contact(800). Computing device 2 may also determine whether the contact isclassified as a preferred contact based on a variety of factors, asdescribed above (801). Responsive to determining that the contact isclassified as a preferred contact, visual characteristic module 16 maygenerate based on the communication and information associated with thecontact, a graphical element having a first visual characteristic, thefirst visual characteristic being one of a glimmer, shimmer, highlight,and shine (803). Responsive to determining that the contact is notclassified as a preferred contact, visual characteristic module 16 maygenerate, based on the communication and information associated with thecontact, a graphical element having a second visual characteristic, thesecond visual characteristic being different from the first visualcharacteristic (802). Computing device 2 may output for display atpresence-sensitive display 20, a graphical user interface including thegraphical element.

In some examples, a camera coupled to the computing device may capturean image, and each respective visual effect may include at least aportion of the image. In some examples, the image may comprise an imageof a user associated with the computing device.

The operations of the method illustrated in FIG. 8 may further includecapturing, by a light sensor of computing device computing device 2, abrightness measurement of an environment of the computing device, andadjusting, based on the brightness measurement of the environment, anintensity of each respective visual characteristic.

In some examples, an accelerometer of computing device 2 may detect anindication that the computing device has moved. Computing device 2 mayreceive the indication that the computing device has moved, andresponsive to receiving the indication that the computing device hasmoved, may update each respective visual characteristic based on themovement indication for output by UID 4.

In one or more examples, the functions described herein may beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on ortransmitted over, as one or more instructions or code, acomputer-readable medium and executed by a hardware-based processingunit. Computer-readable media may include computer-readable storagemedia, which corresponds to a tangible medium such as data storagemedia, or communication media including any medium that facilitatestransfer of a computer program from one place to another, e.g.,according to a communication protocol. In this manner, computer-readablemedia generally may correspond to (1) tangible computer-readable storagemedia, which is non-transitory or (2) a communication medium such as asignal or carrier wave. Data storage media may be any available mediathat can be accessed by one or more computers or one or more processorsto retrieve instructions, code and/or data structures for implementationof the techniques described in this disclosure. A computer programproduct may include a computer-readable medium.

By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable storagemedia can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical diskstorage, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices, flashmemory, or any other medium that can be used to store desired programcode in the form of instructions or data structures and that can beaccessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed acomputer-readable medium. For example, if instructions are transmittedfrom a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable,fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), orwireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then thecoaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wirelesstechnologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in thedefinition of medium. It should be understood, however, thatcomputer-readable storage media and data storage media do not includeconnections, carrier waves, signals, or other transient media, but areinstead directed to non-transient, tangible storage media. Disk anddisc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, opticaldisc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc, wheredisks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce dataoptically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be includedwithin the scope of computer-readable media.

Instructions may be executed by one or more processors, such as one ormore digital signal processors (DSPs), general purpose microprocessors,application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmablelogic arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logiccircuitry. Accordingly, the term “processor,” as used herein may referto any of the foregoing structure or any other structure suitable forimplementation of the techniques described herein. In addition, in someaspects, the functionality described herein may be provided withindedicated hardware and/or software modules. Also, the techniques couldbe fully implemented in one or more circuits or logic elements.

The techniques of this disclosure may be implemented in a wide varietyof devices or apparatuses, including a wireless handset, an integratedcircuit (IC) or a set of ICs (e.g., a chip set). Various components,modules, or units are described in this disclosure to emphasizefunctional aspects of devices configured to perform the disclosedtechniques, but do not necessarily require realization by differenthardware units. Rather, as described above, various units may becombined in a hardware unit or provided by a collection ofinteroperative hardware units, including one or more processors asdescribed above, in conjunction with suitable software and/or firmware.

Various examples have been described. These and other examples arewithin the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: outputting, by a computingdevice and for display, a graphical user interface of an application,the graphical user interface including a plurality of elements, eachrespective element of the plurality of elements being associated with arespective feature of a plurality of features of the application;determining, by the computing device, an age for a first feature of theplurality of features, the age being a period of time that has elapsedsince the first feature was enabled in the application; generating, bythe computing device, based on the age, a visual characteristic thatmodifies a visual appearance of the respective element of the pluralityof elements associated with the first feature; and outputting, by thecomputing device and for display, the visual characteristic in thegraphical user interface.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the visualcharacteristic includes at least a portion of an image.
 3. The method ofclaim 2, wherein the image represents a user associated with thecomputing device.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:capturing, by a light sensor of the computing device, a brightnessmeasurement of an environment of the computing device; and adjusting, bythe computing device and based on the brightness measurement of theenvironment, an aspect of the visual characteristic.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: receiving, by the computing device, anindication that the computing device has moved; responsive to receivingthe indication that the computing device has moved, updating the visualcharacteristic; and outputting the updated visual characteristic.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein generating the visual characteristiccomprises: determining an intensity for the visual characteristic, theintensity of the visual characteristic decreasing as the age of thefeature associated with the element increases.
 7. A method comprising:outputting, by a computing device for display, a graphical userinterface of an application, the graphical user interface including aplurality of elements; determining, by the computing device, an age fora first element of the plurality of elements, the age being a period oftime that has elapsed since the first element was last selected in theapplication; generating, by the computing device, based on the age ofthe first element, a visual characteristic that indicates the age of thefirst element; and outputting, by the computing device for display, thevisual characteristic for the first element.
 8. The method of claim 7,further comprising: generating, by the computing device, an updatedvisual characteristic including at least a portion of an image.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the image comprises an image of a user of thecomputing device.
 10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:capturing, by a light sensor of the computing device, a brightnessmeasurement of an environment of the computing device; and adjusting anaspect of the visual characteristic based on the brightness measurementof the environment of the computing device.
 11. The method of claim 7,further comprising: receiving, by the computing device, an indicationthat the computing device has moved; and responsive to receiving theindication, updating the visual characteristic.
 12. The method of claim7, further comprising: determining an intensity for the visualcharacteristic, wherein the visual characteristic decreases as theperiod of time that has elapsed since the first element was lastselected increases.
 13. A device comprising: at least one processor; atleast one module operable by the at least one processor to: output, fordisplay, a graphical user interface of an application, the graphicaluser interface including a plurality of elements, each respectiveelement of the plurality of elements being associated with one of aplurality of features; determine an age for a first feature of theplurality of application features, the age being a period of time thathas elapsed since the first feature was enabled in the application;generate, based on the age, a visual characteristic that modifies avisual appearance of the respective element of the plurality of elementsassociated with the first feature; and output, for display, the visualcharacteristic in the graphical user interface.
 14. The device of claim13, wherein each respective visual characteristic includes at least aportion of an image.
 15. The device of claim 14, wherein the imagecomprises an image of a user associated with the computing device. 16.The device of claim 13, further comprising: a light sensor to capture abrightness measurement of an environment of the computing device,wherein the at least one module is further operable by the at least oneprocessor to adjust, based on the brightness measurement of theenvironment, an aspect of the visual characteristic.
 17. The device ofclaim 13, further comprising: an accelerometer to detect an indicationthat the computing device has moved, wherein the at least one module isfurther operable by the at least one processor to: receive theindication that the computing device has moved; responsive to receivingthe indication that the computing device has moved, update the visualcharacteristic; and output the updated visual characteristic.
 18. Thedevice of claim 13, wherein the at least one module is further operableby the at least one processor to determine an intensity for the visualcharacteristic from the plurality of elements, the intensity of eachvisual characteristic decreasing as the age of the feature associatedwith the element increases.
 19. A device comprising: at least oneprocessor; at least one operable by the at least one processor to:output, for display at a display device, a graphical user interface ofan application, the graphical user interface including a plurality ofelements; determine an age for a first element of the plurality ofelements, the age being a period of time that has elapsed since thefirst element was last selected in the application; generate, based onthe age, a visual characteristic that indicates the age of the firstelement; and output, for display, the visual characteristic for thefirst element in the graphical user interface.
 20. The device of claim19, further comprising: an accelerometer that detects movement of thecomputing device, wherein the user interface module is further operableby the at least one processor to: receive an indication that thecomputing device has moved; and responsive to receiving the indication,update the visual characteristic.